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The Guangdong High People’s Court recently gave its final judgment on a patent infringement dispute between Midea Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Group and Gree Electric Appliances, Inc, of Zhuhai.

The Guangdong High People’s Court recently gave its final judgment on a patent infringement dispute that has lasted for three years between Midea Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Group and Gree Electric Appliances, Inc, of Zhuhai, both leading Chinese home appliance makers.

The court upheld the lower court’s decision that Midea infringed Gree’s patent, ruling Midea to stop selling the infringing air-conditioning products and imposing a fine of 2 million yuan (US$317,600).

In April 2007, Gree developed a technology that allows users to control room temperatures according to their own sleeping habits and thereby improve sleeping quality. In April of the same year, Gree filed an invention application with the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and obtained the patent right in September of 2008.